Discussion

Signup for Blackfish byob chowdown, Sun 30 January (Conshohocken)

As originally proposed in the recent Blackfish thread, mitchh, RocketJSquirrel and I are organizing a chowdown at Blackfish in Conshohocken PA for 6PM on Sunday January 30, 2011.

For those of you not familiar with Blackfish, it has regularly been placed in the top 10 best Philly-area restaurants by Philadelphia Magazine. Chef Charles “Chip” Roman, a protégé of Georges Perrier and Marc Vetri, serves a creative menu of French-inspired American cuisine, emphasizing seafood, but not exclusively. For more details, see the several recent threads or check out the a la carte menu:

For this chowdown, we will be enjoying a 5-course tasting menu prepared especially for us, and the cost will be $84/person (tip is already included). RocketJSquirrel is discussing the menu with Chip and we will post it as soon as it is available (substitutions shouldn't be a problem if someone has an allergy). This will also be a byob dinner, and so we ask that each person who plans to imbibe to please bring a bottle of wine that they enjoy and would like to share with everyone else. Please let the organizers know if you will be bringing a sparkling, white, red or dessert wine (Chip’s dessert’s are always fantastic!). If you’d like to bring more than one bottle, that is fine but certainly not expected.

The back room at Blackfish will hold 22 people, so we will be limiting attendance to that number. We already have >10 signed up, so get on board before it is too late by sending an e-mail to either mitchh or myself at the addresses listed on our profiles. (Please don’t use this thread to express interest, since that violates Chowhound board policy.) Since this is a big event and we will be reserving a large percentage of the restaurant, out of respect for the restaurant, please only sign up if you are pretty sure you can make it, and if you have to cancel, please let us know as soon as possible. We will be reconfirming everyone’s attendance after the holidays. If we have enough interest, we will create a waiting list.

An additional note about the wine, since this is a large event and it will be organized differently than what you may be familiar with when byob’ing in a small group. We would like to keep this low key and more about the food than the wine, so wine newbies and wine snobbies alike are encouraged to attend. I don’t expect anyone to bring a bottle of Chateau Lafite, but if you would like to do so, I’m sure we’ll all be willing to try it! If you don’t drink, that is perfectly fine as well. Beyond that, this is a chance to share some food & wine in a relaxed atmosphere with our fellow Chowhounds. However, given the caliber of the cuisine, we do ask that the wine you bring retail for at least $25. If we have as many as 22 attendees, we will probably break this into two groups for wine sharing purposes (please don’t expect to get 8 ounce pours of each wine, as the goal it to try a little of a lot of different wines).

I’ve attended several tasting dinners at Blackfish, and Chip always puts on an amazing display, so I’m sure this will be an event not to be missed. I realize this won’t be inexpensive, especially in this economy, but I really hope you can join us…

[P.S. For those worried about parking, I’ve always found that it is fairly easy. There is a small public lot about a block away, and if that is full there is usually easy parking on Fayette, if not directly outside the restaurant, then about a block further along the street.].

The $45 4-course "special ingredient" is only available on Tuesdays. I'm also including a 20% tip in the $84 to simplify things, and I don't believe we will be paying corkage. No promises, but I've known Chip to occasionally throw in some extras too.

Everything I've ever had at Blackfish has been worth the price of admission. But you are right, those Tuesday dinners are a particularly good deal.

We debated going the cheaper route, but ultimately decided to go with a larger menu specially created for us to fully appreciate Chip's cooking.

RocketJSquirrel and I were at Blackfish on Sunday (enjoying the amazing creation pictured below), and I'm happy to report that Chip is already planning our menu. Mitchh has received ~16 expression of interest, so get signed up before it's too late...

[Sweet onion-stuffed crepe with white truffle fondue, and yes, those are indeed copious slices of Italian white truffle--this has to be one of the most delicious things I've ever put in my mouth!]

RocketJSquirrel is speaking with the chef today about the menu and we should have an update on that shortly. We will be doing a 5-course tasting menu put together just for us for $84 (tip is already included). This event is BYOB, but non-drinkers are also encouraged to attend.

Currently, there are 18 Chowhounds signed up, with space for ~4 more. So if you are interested in attending, please let me know at the e-mail address listed in my profile (please don't reply to this thread to signup, since that violates Chowhound posting rules). For those of you who have already signed up through myself or mitchh, I'll be sending you a confirmatory e-mail in the next day or so.

FInally, in case you missed the news, Philadelphia Magazine just declared Blackfish the #1 restaurant in Philly:

Last update before the big chowdown at Blackfish next Sunday! As you can see from the menu below, it should be a wonderful meal, with options to please everyone (thanks to RocketJSquirrel for working with Chef Chip Roman on this).

Due to some cancelations, we still have 4 seats/22 remaining for this event. But if you are interested, I need to know soon, since the chef needs to special order items for this dinner. Contact me at the address in my profile...

If you have already signed up, and didn't receive my email update yesterday, please contact me ASAP to confirm.

RocketJSquirrel and I dined at Blackfish last night with a group of 9, and Chip was in rare form. The rare (no pun intended) roasted squab with seared foie gras, Jerusalem artichokes and Honshimeji mushrooms was an wonderful dish (picture below). I don't think I've ever seen that much foie gras sitting on one plate before!